Sunday Gospel to feed your soul
Spend a Sunday afternoon with Ottawa-based blues and gospel musician Ernie Cox and the London Trio Plus. Proceeds from this heart warming gospel Christmas concert will benefit the Out of the Cold program, which for the past 18 years has worked to feed hundreds of hungry people during the winter. Sunday, December 15. 3 p.m. Adults $10, children $5. Knox Presbyterian Church, 227 Elgin St.
Christmas in Vienna
Celebrate the holiday season with the Ottawa Classical Choir. Maestro Michel Brousseau will guide you through an elegant evening of Strauss’ best-known waltzes, including Blue Danube, Emperor Waltz, and Voices of Spring. Saturday, December 14. 7:30 p.m. Adults $30, students $10, reserved $40. St. Brigid’s Centre for the Arts. 310 St. Patrick St.
Christmas Art Show (Free!)
Patrick Gordon Framing Studio will be holding its annual Christmas sale featuring work by local artists. The event also serves as a 10 year anniversary for this framing studio/gallery, which is also a hub for the arts community. In short, it should be a great party! Artwork will be on display for the month of December and will include works by Daniel Martelock, Andrea Sutton, Marc Adornato, and many more. Thursday, December 12. 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Free Admission. Patrick Gordon Framing Studio, 160 Elm St.
Foodie fest (Free!)
Talk about homemade deliciousness. Annual holiday food market Flavours of Ottawa is back for its second year of mouth-watering delight. From cake pops, macarons, cookies, and pies, to jams, chutneys, salsas, and honeys, come hungry and ready to sample a bit of everything. Over 20 Ottawa-based artisan food vendors will sell their products, many of which are perfect for holiday gift giving and entertaining (when you don’t have the time to whip up your own masterpieces, of course). Saturday, December 14. 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Free admission, with donations collected for the Food Bank. Westboro Masonic Hall, 430 Churchill Ave.
Two cultural entities, one fun night
Independent photographic arts school SPAO and Ottawa cultural quarterly Guerilla are teaming up for a festive fundraiser and the launch of Guerilla’s newest print edition. Come out for a night of live music, including The Haig, Stoney Martins featuring Tobacco Joe, Eraserheads, International Maniacs Institute, and more. Friday, December 13. 7 p.m. $10. School of Photographic Arts Ottawa, 168 Dalhousie St.
Tales and Tunes
Ottawa StoryTellers and the NorthWinds Brass Quintet will bring the art of holiday storytelling to Ottawa with three concerts that bring to life beloved Christmas stories. The Gift of the Magi and The Thief that Stole Christmas will be accompanied by sparkling holiday brass to celebrate the season. Proceeds to benefit three worthy causes. Friday, December 13. 7:30 p.m. St. James the Apostle, 3774 Carp Rd. Saturday, December 14. 3:30 p.m. St. Michael and All angels, 2112 Bel-Air Dr. Sunday, December 15. 7:30p.m. Orleans United Church, 111 Orleans Blvd. Tickets at the door: Adults $20, seniors and students $15, children $10.
A Taste of Mexico
Tired of the cold? Join the Bytown Museum in collaboration with the Mexican Embassy for an evening of authentic cuisine, art, and mezcal, a natural distilled spirit from Mexico (it will help shake those winter blues). Maestro mezcalero Sergio Inurrigarro, will give a brief history of the drink and will guide guests through a tasting of 5 mezcales paired with traditional food. Thursday, December 12 and Saturday, December 14. 6 p.m. $40. Bytown Museum, 1 Canal Lane.